


Fall

by Katiebug445



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Fictober 2018, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29233032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiebug445/pseuds/Katiebug445
Summary: Just a short thing for fictober 2018
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein
Kudos: 3





	Fall

Everywhere around him, the leaves were beginning to turn, the air was crisp, and sun was setting earlier and earlier. Armin stood behind the counter, lazily flipping through one of the magazines that was waiting to be priced and put on the shelf, and could feel himself beginning to doze off. The autumn sun was shining in the window directly behind him, heating up his back and feeling like a blanket fresh out of the dryer, and the smell from the coffee shop adjacent to the bookstore made him feel cozy and relaxed.

He always loved this lull in the day, when everyone went on break and he had the whole front of the store to himself to spend with the books. The baristas always took the chance to make fresh coffee for the after school/work rushes, and it always smelled amazing - especially now that all the fall flavors were coming back.

The bell above the door chimed and Armin looked up, closing his magazine and putting on his best “customer service” face. “Hi.” He greeted, his eyes lighting up when he realized who it was.

A taller boy with sandy brown hair pulled back into a bun smiled at him and made his way over. “Hey.” He replied, leaning his elbows on the counter. “You about ready?”

“Give me a few minutes ‘til Annie gets off her break, then yeah.” Armin replied. “It won’t be long.”

“‘Kay.” Jean said, pushing himself off the counter as he began browsing the books. Armin loved when Jean surprised him at work like this, so they could walk home together and enjoy the rest of their day. He loved it even more at this time of year, when they were surrounded by color.

Jean loved Halloween more than anything, and always got excited when they walked passed houses that went the extra mile with their decorations. He always pointed them out, and had to stop for a minute and properly admire them. It always turned their twenty minute walk into over an hour, but Armin didn’t mind at all. He loved seeing his boyfriend get so excited about silly stuff like that. It just added to the long list of reasons why he loved him so much.

His eyes found the taller boy in one of the aisles near the back, leaned against one of the bookshelves with a novel in his hands. Jean didn’t read nearly as much as Armin did, but every now and then, the blonde would catch him with one of his own books when he got bored. From the looks of it, Jean had found himself something new to occupy his time.

He wandered back up after a moment, book in his hands, and laid it in front of him. “I’m gonna head next door for a minute. Can you hang onto this?”

With a nod, Armin rang it up, and insisted that Jean let him pay for it, and then the taller boy headed into the cafe. When he opened the door that separated the two buildings, Armin was hit with the strong smell of pumpkin spice and caramel, and it made his mouth water just thinking about it.

Annie came back after another few moments, and Armin said a quick goodbye to her before grabbing up his stuff and heading next door to find Jean so they could go. The scents were stronger in here, and mingled in between pumpkin and caramel, Armin could pick up hints of cinnamon and ginger, vanilla and whipped cream. His stomach growled, and he hoped he could talk the other man into stopping on their way home for something to eat.

He spotted him up at the counter and hurried up to him, just about to say something when a cup was brought up to his face. Taken slightly aback, Armin took it and sniffed, his eyes rolling back in his head when he realized what it was. “Thanks.” He murmured, taking note of the light coloring in the other man’s cheeks.

Armin led the way out of the cafe and held the door for Jean as he followed him out into the chilly afternoon. Trees lined their walk on both sides of the street, all of them splashed with different shades of reds and oranges, all vibrant and beautiful. Armin took a sip of his coffee, and bumped his hand against Jean’s as they walked. After a moment, the taller man caught Armin’s hand in his own and held it between them.


End file.
